“They are difficult cars to drive, very different to the Chevrolet Supercars I drive back home in Bahrain.

“I put a wheel off the track a couple of times; I found it hard to slow the car down, but then the team told me to apply more brake pressure; you have to stand on them (the brakes).”

Ingall and Paul Morris gave the young Bahraini plenty of tips to help him on his way.

“Paul took me out to show me how to drive a V8 Supercar properly and he was impressive, really quick,” Raffii commented.

“His and Russell’s advice was extremely helpful. It was a great experience, one I really enjoyed overall.

Morris described Raffii’s first V8 Supercar test as a success.

“V8 Supercars are unique cars to drive, but Raed has impressed us with his how he approached the test,” Morris said.

“He has genuine ability and is fast. Experience counts for a lot in this category, but I’m confident that with more testing he would quickly fit in and be competitive.”

V8 Supercars Australia CEO, Martin Whitaker, said Raffii’s introduction to V8 Supercars would lead to even greater interest in the category in the Middle East.

“I think what’s nice about today is that Raed has had the chance to realise his own dream and ambition to drive a V8 Supercar and I think the wonderful think about it is that he’s applied himself in a very professional manner,” Whitaker said.

“He’s listened to the advice; he’s taken the advice and slowly but surely bedded himself into driving the car, and from what I can see his lap times are very good.”

Whitaker said the test would hopefully eventuate to a Fujitsu Series drive for Raffii.

“And after that who knows what will happen,” he said.

“Most importantly from a Middle East perspective, it should help encourage greater interest in the races in both Bahrain and Abu Dhabi and hopefully see that translated into more spectators, more interest from investment and a greater television audience.”

The news blog

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